Originally Published in the Thought Catalog

Generation Y (born roughly between 1980 and 2000) is the most in-debt, depressed, and unemployed generation in United States history. It is also the most educated. How can this startling dichotomy be explained? Society and the media have largely ignored the need for a meaningful discourse, choosing instead to label Gen Y with adjectives such as “narcissistic” and “lazy”. In my work as a career coach, I’ve worked with hundreds of Millennials who were sorely misled into believing that following their passion is the key to a happy professional life. I you get caught up in “following your passion,” it’s possible that you’re overlooking a much more profound journey in your career and life: finding who you are. According to a recent Gallup poll, 70 … Read More

Great networkers rarely, if ever, apply for jobs… Let that sink in for a moment. The people who truly understand networking are always a referral, swooping up jobs that plenty of other candidates are equally, if not more, qualified to perform. In the case of the job market, marketing is unfortunately more important than mastery… So what’s holding everyone else back from experiencing the abundance that networking can bring into their lives? In my work as a Career Coach to Millennials, I’ve noticed that too many people have adopted a short-sighted view of a process that is, at its core, about building lasting, productive networks… This means paying it forward and being of service in a very big way. Clients frequently tell me that networking … Read More

It’s the end of the workday and you’re sitting in the same spot you’ve been sitting in every day, five days a week, for months on end: in your cubicle with the fluorescent lights buzzing overhead and the glare of the computer screen burning your eyes. You can’t focus on whatever it is you’re supposed to be doing so you alternate between scrolling your Twitter feed and watching cat videos on YouTube just to keep yourself from banging your head against your desk. When you get home at night, you repeatedly check your emails until you fall asleep. You wake up the next morning, stumble back to the office, and repeat the routine. This pattern of over-working and over-stimulation depletes your energy reserves. You end … Read More

In the course of my work as a Career Coach to Millennials, I’ve noticed that everyone has a wildly different definition for success. However, I’ve found that there’s a certain science to having a more fulfilling career. The game-changing moments are rarely the result of harder work and longer hours; they’re the product of pushing the boundaries of your comfort zone and defying the fear-based voices that tell you there’s only one path to success. Here are some lessons that — if implemented — will undoubtedly change the course of your career and life: 1. Don’t stay in limbo. We’ve all had periods of uncertainty about what we want to do with our lives. However, the choice to stay in limbo lends itself to one of the … Read More